NANJING – In a remarkable demonstration of unified purpose, Jiangsu's highest-ranking leaders are joining forces to propel the province to the forefront of smart manufacturing and artificial intelligence.
The synchronized effort was prominently displayed at the 2025 World Intelligent Manufacturing Expo (WIME) in Nanjing on November 27, where both Provincial Party Secretary Xin Changxing and Governor Liu Xiaotao played leading roles. Secretary Xin addressed the main conference, while Governor Liu officiated the opening ceremony.
A Month of Strategic Engagements: The Secretary's Four Robot Demonstrations
Before the conference commenced, attending leaders toured the exhibition halls, where intelligent robotics once again commanded attention. At a prominent corporate display, Secretary Xin, Governor Liu, and other senior officials stopped to witness a humanoid robot performance and receive detailed explanations.
For Secretary Xin, this represented his fourth live robotics demonstration in just one month. Earlier engagements on October 31, November 5, and November 6 had seen him observe robot demonstrations at the 2025 World Internet of Things Expo in Wuxi, the 8th China International Import Expo in Shanghai, and during research activities in Suzhou, respectively.
From the IoT Expo in Wuxi to the Import Expo in Shanghai, from research in Suzhou to the Intelligent Manufacturing Expo in Nanjing, Secretary Xin's itinerary consistently pointed toward one clear direction: smart manufacturing.
The Governor's OPC Initiative: "One Person + AI = Company"
Meanwhile, Governor Liu Xiaotao has been making significant moves in advancing artificial intelligence. While attending the 2025 Jiangsu AI Innovation Development Conference and the inaugural AI OPC Conference in Suzhou, he emphasized the crucial importance of smart manufacturing and AI, proposing the innovative OPC model of "One Person + AI = Company." This made the concept of "an individual operating as an army" widely discussed, prompting competitive developments in both Suzhou and Nanjing. Consequently, Jiangsu became China's first province to explicitly propose and systematically advance the OPC development model.
With both the Provincial Party Secretary and Governor focusing intently on smart manufacturing and artificial intelligence, what major strategy is Jiangsu pursuing?
The Secretary's Four Strategic Stops
The four live robot demonstrations that Secretary Xin attended within one month represent anything but coincidence.
At the November 27 World Intelligent Manufacturing Expo, Secretary Xin articulated the strategic thinking behind these actions in his address: "The Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee made strategic plans for comprehensively implementing the 'AI Plus' initiative and promoting the digital and intelligent transformation of manufacturing."
He further clarified Jiangsu's direction: "We will firmly maintain smart manufacturing as our main focus, adhere to innovation-driven development, emphasize application orientation, strive to enhance scientific and technological supply, accelerate industrial digitalization and intelligence, vigorously cultivate competitive enterprises, foster a positive industrial ecosystem, promote high-quality manufacturing development empowered by AI, and accelerate the establishment of an internationally competitive advanced manufacturing base."
On October 31, while attending the 2025 World Internet of Things Expo in Wuxi, Secretary Xin observed embodied intelligent robot demonstrations. He stressed the need to target cutting-edge fields, strengthen technological breakthroughs, highlight application orientation, actively promote deep integration of AI technological innovation with industrial innovation, better empower high-quality economic and social development, and help improve people's quality of life.
On November 5, Secretary Xin appeared in Shanghai for the 8th China International Import Expo opening ceremony, visiting the technical equipment exhibition area to inspect new technologies and products including AI and industrial robots. He noted that currently, it is essential to tightly grasp the opportunities presented by the new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation, actively optimize and upgrade traditional industries, and cultivate and strengthen emerging and future industries, which provides broad space for foreign enterprises to invest and develop in Jiangsu.
The following day, Secretary Xin proceeded to Suzhou for research, visiting the city's Embodied Intelligent Robot Comprehensive Innovation Center exhibition and training facilities to understand the local industry's development in detail. He pointed out that AI is a strategic technology leading the new technological revolution and industrial transformation, full of infinite possibilities and potential. He emphasized the need to fully implement the "AI Plus" initiative, strengthen innovation-driven development, highlight application orientation, improve the industrial ecosystem, and empower all industries comprehensively, injecting new momentum into high-quality economic and social development.
Within one short month, from the IoT Expo to the Import Expo, from Suzhou research to the Intelligent Manufacturing Expo, Secretary Xin gained deep understanding of the latest advances and application prospects in robotics technology through on-site observation, detailed explanations, and interactive inquiry. Each of his stops conveyed the provincial leadership's high regard for smart manufacturing; every question explored breakthroughs for industrial development.
The Governor's OPC Vision
Echoing the Secretary's steps, Governor Liu Xiaotao has been equally active in promoting AI development.
Just one day before the 2025 World Intelligent Manufacturing Expo, Governor Liu also presided over the founding ceremony of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Institute of Industrial Artificial Intelligence. This research institution, jointly established by CAS, Jiangsu Province, and Nanjing City, aims to promote high-quality manufacturing development empowered by AI and build national strategic scientific and technological strength in smart manufacturing. Governor Liu stated that Jiangsu would provide comprehensive service support for the institute's development, promote continuous new achievements in provincial-academy cooperation, and jointly serve the construction of a technologically strong nation and a manufacturing powerhouse.
Notably, Governor Liu has emphasized "seizing the opportunity of AI development" on multiple public occasions and proposed the new OPC model of "One Person + AI = Company."
At the November 11 2025 Jiangsu AI Innovation Development Conference and inaugural AI OPC Conference, Governor Liu stated, "Jiangsu's abundant computing power and data resources, complete industrial support, diverse application scenarios, and high-quality talent support provide fertile soil for OPC growth." He encouraged using AI as an engine to promote AI agent development and application, enabling everyone to possess cross-disciplinary, scalable "super teams," making "an individual operating as an army" a vivid hallmark of the AI era.
OPC, meaning "One Person Company," no longer refers to the traditional single-person company in the AI era. Instead, it denotes individuals, supported by AI, independently completing full-chain business processes from product design and R&D to production, market launch, user operations, and customer service response.
Twin Cities in Action: Suzhou and Nanjing's Rapid Response
Following the provincial strategic deployment, the twin star cities of Suzhou and Nanjing quickly responded, competing to make moves in the new OPC field.
Suzhou took the lead in proposing to build itself into the "Preferred City for OPC Entrepreneurship," setting clear targets: by 2028, create over 30 OPC communities, launch more than 100 tools on the municipal OPC public service platform, cultivate 1,000 new OPC enterprises, and gather over 10,000 OPC talents.
Nanjing focused more on practical advancement. At the November 23 2025 Nanjing Software Valley Artificial Intelligence Industry Ecology Conference, the "Mass-Energy Workshop" OPC community, practicing "One Person + AI = Company," completed centralized signings with its first 12 settled enterprises, achieving a critical step from concept to entity.
Jiangsu thus became China's first province to explicitly propose and systematically promote OPC development.
The "synchronized resonance" between the Governor and the Provincial Party Secretary reflects the high consensus within Jiangsu's party and government leadership on developing smart manufacturing and seizing the new heights of artificial intelligence.
From "Made in Jiangsu" to "Smartly Made in Jiangsu"
The Provincial Party Secretary's four robot demonstrations in one month, combined with the Governor's strong promotion of AI development and OPC platform construction, send a clear and powerful signal:
Jiangsu is mobilizing full provincial strength to position smart manufacturing and artificial intelligence as strategic engines leading high-quality development.
Earlier this year, the Jiangsu Provincial Government Office issued the "Three-Year Action Plan for Deepening Intelligent Transformation, Digital Transformation, and Networked Connection of Manufacturing in Jiangsu (2025-2027)," drawing a clear roadmap for the province's manufacturing transformation and upgrade.
The plan sets explicit targets: by 2027, the pace of equipment renewal, process upgrading, digital empowerment, and model innovation for manufacturing enterprises across the province will be significantly accelerated; a group of smart factories with Jiangsu characteristics will be established; large-scale industrial enterprises will basically complete intelligent transformation; and small and medium-sized enterprises will fully implement digital transformation.
In specific actions, Jiangsu will implement the "Smart Factory Gradient Construction Action," promoting smart factory construction at different levels from basic, advanced, and excellent to lighthouse. By the end of 2027, the coverage rate of large-scale industrial enterprises reaching basic-level and above smart factory standards is planned to reach about 50%; advanced-level and above about 10%; excellent-level and above about 5%; and lighthouse-level smart factory standards about 1%.
Jiangsu has also specifically established the "SME Digital Transformation Action," implementing targeted measures for innovative SMEs, provincial specialized and sophisticated SMEs, and national specialized and sophisticated "little giant" enterprises to promote digital transformation at different levels.
Smart manufacturing is not only the core engine for building a strong manufacturing nation but also the essential path for the manufacturing industry's transformation, upgrade, and move up the value chain. For Jiangsu, smart manufacturing is not only key to maintaining manufacturing competitiveness but also an important path for cultivating new quality productive forces.
From the Provincial Party Secretary's four robot demonstrations in one month to the Governor's vigorous promotion of AI development, and the comprehensive advancement of intelligent transformation, digital transformation, and networked connection throughout the province, Jiangsu is demonstrating its high attention and firm determination toward smart manufacturing through concrete actions.
As Secretary Xin stated in his conference speech: "Jiangsu built its success on manufacturing, and must also rely on manufacturing for its future." This statement summarizes both history and declares future intent.
Today, Jiangsu's smart manufacturing vision is transforming from blueprint to reality. Led by robotics, artificial intelligence, and smart manufacturing, Jiangsu is undergoing a profound metamorphosis from "Made in Jiangsu" to "Smartly Made in Jiangsu"—a transformation that will determine the province's industrial competitiveness for the next decade and beyond.
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